Seven guitarists. One stage. One night. Krissy Matthews brings GUITARMANIA, his travelling guitar summit, to The Granville Theatre, Ramsgate, with GRAMMY-nominated blues-rock star Eric Gales, former child prodigy Eric Steckel, Russell Marsden of Band of Skulls, Óskar Logi of The Vintage Caravan, Swiss blues wizard Philipp “Bluedög” Gerber and fingerpicking virtuoso Rory Evans.
GUITARMANIA isn’t a normal package tour, with a headliner and support acts each playing their own set. It’s a guitar summit built on interaction. Each guitarist opens with their own music and their own sound, then the players share the stage more and more as the night goes on, ending in unpredictable all-star jams that are different every night.
The idea comes from host Krissy Matthews, and grew out of his 2024 album Krissy Matthews And Friends: 24 tracks featuring around 80 guest musicians, including Chris Farlowe, Arthur Brown and Inga Rumpf. The first GUITARMANIA tour ran in 2025, and the 2027 edition brings together players from the USA, the UK, Iceland and Switzerland.
Host · UK / Norway
British-Norwegian guitarist and singer Krissy Matthews has more than 20 years on stage behind him. He played with John Mayall at twelve, caught B.B. King’s attention at fifteen and, at sixteen, became the last guest musician to share a stage with the late Jeff Healey. A permanent member of the Hamburg Blues Band, he created GUITARMANIA after his 2024 album Krissy Matthews And Friends, which featured around 80 guests including Chris Farlowe and Arthur Brown. As host, he’s the one pulling the night together.
USA · GRAMMY nominee
Born in Memphis, Eric Gales plays left-handed and upside down, a family tradition, and released his first album at just 16. More than 30 years and 18 albums later, he’s hailed as one of the greatest blues-rock guitarists of his generation, admired by Joe Bonamassa, Zakk Wylde and Gary Clark Jr. His Bonamassa-produced album Crown hit No.1 on the Billboard Blues chart and was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2023 GRAMMYs. He’s also a three-time Blues Music Award winner, including Guitar Player of the Year 2022.
USA
From Allentown, Pennsylvania, Eric Steckel was a genuine child prodigy. His debut album came out when he was 11, and at 12 he was on tour with John Mayall. He has since released a dozen albums and shared bills with Steve Vai, Gregg Allman, Johnny Winter, Ray Charles and Robben Ford. Rooted in traditional blues, his playing now carries a heavy, hard-rock edge.
UK · Band of Skulls
Singer and guitarist Russell Marsden founded Southampton rockers Band of Skulls in 2002. Their gritty, riff-driven rock took them around the world, and their song Friends featured on the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Marsden still leads Band of Skulls today, and returns to GUITARMANIA for 2027.
Iceland · The Vintage Caravan
Óskar Logi Ágústsson formed The Vintage Caravan with a school friend in Álftanes, Iceland, in 2006, when they were just 12. Signed to Nuclear Blast, the band have taken their ’70s-inspired heavy rock across Europe and beyond, with Óskar’s guitar tone and fiery soloing at its heart. He also starred in the Icelandic film Metalhead. Returning to GUITARMANIA.
Switzerland
Known as the blues wizard from Solothurn, Philipp “Bluedög” Gerber is one of Switzerland’s best-known guitarists: a self-taught player, singer, bandleader and producer who came to the blues through Jimi Hendrix. He has guested with Swiss rock legends Krokus, opened for Eric Clapton and worked with Tony Spinner and Jared James Nichols. His band BLUEDÖG released We Keep The Fire Burning in 2025.
UK · Fingerstyle virtuoso
British guitarist Rory Evans is known for a blisteringly fast fingerpicking style that moves across jazz, country, classical, blues and rock. He even has his own signature guitar, the Vintage “Virtuoso” Rory Evans electro-acoustic. Expect jaw-dropping acoustic playing that brings something completely different to the night.
With Slawek Semeniuk (bass) and Gerry Reynders (drums) driving the house band all night.
Krissy Matthews“Bubbles” with The Hamburg Blues Band, live at Ulmer Zelt 2017
Eric Gales“Layin’ Down the Blues”, live at the 2019 Dallas International Guitar Festival
Eric Steckel“Tennessee”, The Steakhouse Sessions Vol. 1 (official video)
Russell MarsdenBand of Skulls, “We’re Alive” (official video)
Óskar LogiThe Vintage Caravan, “Expand Your Mind” (official video)
Philipp “Bluedög” Gerber“Sinnerman”, live at GUITARMANIA 2026
Rory Evans“Sylvia” (Focus), live with Rockin’ Shop
★ Seven guitarists on one stage, from the USA, the UK, Iceland and Switzerland
★ GRAMMY-nominated, three-time Blues Music Award winner Eric Gales
★ Eric Steckel, who toured with John Mayall at the age of 12
★ Guitarists from Band of Skulls and The Vintage Caravan
★ Hosted by Krissy Matthews, who played with John Mayall at twelve
★ Solo spots building to unpredictable all-star jams
★ Part of the GUITARMANIA 2027 European tour
Not a contest to see who can play the fastest, loudest or longest solo.
GUITARMANIA pairs up very different musical personalities, and the lines between their styles disappear as the night builds. The 2027 line-up spans contemporary American blues-rock, British alternative rock, psychedelia, vintage rock, hard rock and classic blues, all on one stage with one shared rhythm section.
Doors 5:45pm, show 6:45pm. Advance tickets £32 plus booking fee, on sale 10am Friday 16th October 2026.
The Granville Theatre sits on Victoria Parade, on Ramsgate’s seafront, and is easy to reach from across Thanet and East Kent.
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